Vodafone, Orange drop out of ‘unprofitable’ UEFA rights battle

Vodafone and Orange Spain have reportedly decided not to bid for the UEFA CHampions League TV rights for the next three seasons, saying the bidding prices mean there is no way of making a profit.

UEFA’s plan to increase the price for the Champions League in Spain by 30 per cent has driven them tp drop out, but they have not ruled out reaching an agreement with the successful bidder to broadcast some of the matches.

The fierce competition in the country’s pay-TV market, with many low price promotions to capture subscribers, is making it hard for telco companies to profit from the TV football rights. To make it profitable it is estimated that they would need to charge subscribers a monthly fee of €50, when in fact they are currently charging between €10 and €20.